Meet the Seacoast’s craft brewers and get a taste of their brews at the second annual Seacoast Microbrew Festival, which has been expanded to two days this year. Hosted by 7th Settlement Brewery, the event takes place Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, at Henry Law Park, along the Cochecho River bank in Dover.

There will be 17 breweries present, split into two tents with food vendors, live music and lawn games in between.

Event coordinator Kate Sanders said the festival is about more than just tasting the brews; it’s a chance for people to meet with the brewers directly.

“It’s not volunteers or outside people pouring the drinks,” she said. “It’s the brewers and brewery workers who actually do the craft and know about it. It’s very interactive and is really focused on highlighting the breweries and brewers themselves.”

There is no limit on tastings, and each attendee will receive a 4-ounce Seacoast Microbrew Festival tasting glass to use for sampling the brews at each brewery table. VIP ticketholders will be granted access to the festival one hour before it opens for general admission and will receive a logoed Stanley stainless steel pint glass on their way out.

Sanders said that while there will certainly be some traditional and popular brews, many of them will be new and unique.

“A lot of these are smaller breweries, so we see a lot of test batches and some really interesting brew flavors that you don’t usually see,” she said. “The atmosphere allows brewers to have more creativity with their recipes because their fans are flexible and like to try a lot of different brews instead of just looking for a certain kind or brand.”

The combination of creative freedom and camaraderie among Seacoast microbrewers has led to another growing trend: brew collaborations.

“The craft breweries around here are so tight-knit,” Sanders said. “We definitely see a lot of breweries working together and collaborating on recipes. Hopefully we’ll see some of those collaborations at the brewfest.”

In addition to the breweries, Seacoast food vendors will be onsite, including Portsmouth Catering Co., Flatbread Co., 3 Brothers Marketplace, Juice Burger food truck and The Kitchen’s mobile kitchen. The festival will also feature live music from Martin England and the Reconstructed Trio and Amulus on Saturday, and Gretchen and the Pickpockets and Muddy Ruckus on Sunday.